An access interface (Bai) allows access to a context-sensitive service to a user portable set (Ui) according to a chosen geographical coverage. A mobile station (SMi) distributed in the access interface area of coverage is equipped with communication means to establish short-range radio frequency communication within a chosen perimeter. The user portable set (Ui) is equipped with short-range radio frequency communication means paired with those of the mobile station to establish the said short-range radio frequency communication within the chosen perimeter. The user portable set (Ui) communicates with the mobile station (SMi) and the access interface (Bai) to access the said context-sensitive service (Si) which is adapted according to the position and/or identity of the user.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. Mobile telephony process, comprising: a) providing at least one context-sensitive service (Si) adapted to create, control access and/or adjust at least some characteristics of said service according to context data; b) providing at least one access interface (Bai) belonging to a chosen communication infrastructure, and having a chosen geographical coverage, for access to said context sensitive service by at least one portable set (Ui); c) providing at least one mobile station (SMi) in the chosen geographical coverage of said access interface; d) providing said at least one mobile station (SMi) and at least some of said portable sets with respective short-range radio frequency communication means adapted for short-range radio frequency communication with each other, a perimeter (Pi) being associated with the radio coverages of one or more given ones of said short-range communications means; e) in response to a particular one of said one or more given short-range radio frequency communication means being within said perimeter (Pi), establishing respective short range communications between said particular radio frequency communications means and said one or more given short-range communication means; f) sending attributes associated with said perimeter (Pi) through said short-range communications established at step e); and g) submitting said attributes as said context data to said at least one context-sensitive service, whereby said context-sensitive service (Si) may be created, access-controlled and/or adjusted according to the physical proximity between said portable sets and said at least one mobile station.
2. Process in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said at least some characteristics of the context-sensitive service (Si) belong to a group formed by the absence/presence, content, availability, access control, pricing of the said service.
3. Process in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a plurality of network equipped mobile stations (SMi) is provided.
4. Process in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said at least one mobile station covers practically exactly the interior of said perimeter (Pi).
5. Process in accordance with claim 4 , wherein a perimeter identifier (Pid) is attributed to identify the said perimeter (Pi), at least one attribute (Aij) enabling location of a portable set user/and or characterisation of the perimeter being associated with each perimeter identifier (Pid).
6. Process in accordance with claim 5 , wherein with each perimeter identifier (Pid) is associated a list of attributes (Aij).
7. Process in accordance with claim 6 , wherein acquisition of the attributes (Aij) of the perimeter identifier (Pid) and of the associated service identifiers (Sid) is performed after a short-range radio frequency communication ( 2 ) is established between the user portable set (Ui) coming within the perimeter (Pi) and the nearest mobile station (SMi).
8. Process in accordance with claim 7 , wherein selection of a context-sensitive service is performed after a request/answer type selection session between the user portable set (Ui) and a remote server belonging to the access interface (Bai), and in which the selection request includes at least some attributes (Aij) of the parameter identifier (Pid) so acquired while the remote server communicates to the user portable set via the access infrastructure all the relevant service identifiers matching the request and from which the user selects the service identifier (Sid) of his choice.
9. Process in accordance with claim 5 , wherein a service identifier (Sid) is attributed, in particular of URL address type or similar to enable access to the service associated with the said perimeter (Pi).
10. Process in accordance with claim 5 , wherein acquisition of the service identifier (Sid) and the perimeter identifier (Pid) is performed after a short-range radio frequency communication ( 2 ) is established between the portable set (Ui) coming within the perimeter (Pi) and the nearest mobile station (SMi).
11. Process in accordance with claim 10 , wherein application of the context-sensitive service thus known by the service identifier (Sid) is performed after a bidirectional ( 4 and 6 ) communication is established between the portable set (Ui) and the access interface (Bai).
12. Process in accordance with claim 5 , wherein acquisition of the user identifier (Uid) is performed after a short-range radio frequency communication is established between the user portable set (Ui) coming within the perimeter (Pi) and the nearest mobile station (SMi), and wherein application of the context-sensitive service is performed after communication is established between the mobile station and the access interface to announce to the service (Si) the presence of the user within the perimeter considered (Pi), the service being capable of establishing interaction with the user portable set by adapting the content of the said service according to the user profile based on the user identifier (Ui) and perimeter identifier (Pid) pair.
13. Process in accordance with claim 1 , wherein said at least one mobile station (SMi) is capable of establishing communication with the access interface (Bai), the mobile station (SMi) thus fulfilling the role of a portable set.
14. Process in accordance with claim 1 , wherein a user identifier (Uid) is attributed for each portable set in order to identify a user thereof.
15. Process in accordance with claim 14 , wherein the context-sensitive service is adapted according to the user identifier (Uid) and/or the identifier of the perimeter (Pid) in which the portable set is located.
16. Process in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the communication infrastructure belongs to a group formed by the global cellular network of the GSM, UMTS or similar type, ad hoc local network or similar.
17. Process in accordance with claim 1 , wherein the portable set belongs to the group formed by mobile telephones, personal digital assistants (PDA) or similar.
18. Mobile telephony device for the implementation of the process in accordance with claim 1 .
19. User portable set intended for co-operating with the mobile telephony device in accordance with claim 18 .
20. Mobile station intended for co-operating with the mobile telephony device in accordance with claim 18 .
21. Access interface intended for co-operating with the telephony device in accordance with claim 18 .
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
July 26, 2001
May 31, 2005
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